HIST 397: Primary Source Research

Getting Started with Primary Source Research

What are Primary Sources?

Primary Sources connect the historian to the past. They are "items that are directly associated with their producer or user and the time period in which they were created. Examples include diaries, newspaper articles, government documents, clothing, photographs, oral interviews, and news broadcasts.” (Presnell 93)*

Some categories of primary sources to consider:

  • Public records
  • Official records
  • Personal documents
  • Artifacts/relics
  • Business/Corporate records
  • Images
  • Architecture/City Plans/Maps
  • Media and public communication
  • Literary texts

Thus, you may encounter primary sources in a variety of formats--in print (paper and online), audio files, and images. As you think about your topic, you'll have a better idea of the types and formats of primary sources that will be useful to you.

Finding Primary Sources

Begin with Reference Works

When was the last time you used an encyclopedia? Or a research handbook? They're not just for elementary and middle school projects. Reference works include encyclopedias, research handbooks, and bibliographies. Reference works offer overviews of a topic and help to place it in context. They can be especially useful in providing you with keywords with which to construct your catalog search.
Several reference works will also include primary source documents as well as helpful introductions and bibliographies. Other helpful reference works include research guides to a particular topic (Women in U.S. History: A Resource Guide) or bibliographies of material on a particular topic (Ulysses S. Grant: A Bibliography). Browse or search for relevant reference sources. Here are some examples:

Don't forget to mine the bibliographies of the secondary sources you already have! Look at the primary sources historians use to create their theories and interpretations.

Search for published primary sources in CONSORT, OhioLINK, and WorldCat

Published primary sources, particularly those in English, will be the easiest to find. Use keywords and Library of Congress subject headings in the CONSORT catalog. Choose keywords (remember to use synonyms), and then add one of the following subheadings:

  • correspondence
  • diaries
  • early works to 1800
  • interviews
  • pamphlets
  • personal narratives
  • sources

You can also limit your CONSORT search by date of publication--for instance, 1861-1865.

For additional suggestions, refer to these suggested subject headings. You can also ask for help at the Information Desk.

Remember that CONSORT is the combined catalog of only four schools, so you will most likely need to search OhioLINK (available within CONSORT) and WorldCat.

WorldCat is a catalog of library holdings throughout the country and world. While not totally comprehensive, it contains records for any type of materials: books, sound recordings, video recordings, manuscripts, etc. You can use the same search strategy with all three catalogs. Click the ILL button from within WorldCat to request an item. Delivery time will vary depending on the item's originating library.

Historical Newspapers and Periodicals

Newspapers and periodicals can be valuable primary sources. Use newspapers to trace public debate on a political issue, or to look at trends in advertising and culture. Periodicals, such as scientific journals, can help you to trace the development of new practices and discoveries in the field.

Once you identify the person, event, or trend you want to examine, ask yourself about the time period and geographical location. In most cases, you will need to use a print index for articles published prior to 1980. Indexes are generally located on the 2nd floor of Chalmers library, near the Information Desk. Some newspapers and periodicals are also available online.

To find out whether or not CONSORT has a particular newspaper or periodical, search by "journal title" using either the basic or advanced search screen.

Government Information

The U.S. government is the largest publisher in the United States and publishes statistics and other information on a variety of topics.

When researching the federal government, consider the branch or agency involved in your topic: Legislative, Judicial, or Executive (which includes Bureaus and Agencies). For a more detailed explanation, go to the Government Documents page.

U.S. government documents at Kenyon are typically located in compact shelving on the first floor, near the Chalmers classroom. Ask a librarian at the Information Desk to unlock the shelves for you.

Some useful U.S. government resources:

  • The Congressional Record [Ken Govdocs X 1.1/A]
    In print and online (from 1994), the Record is the the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress and is published daily when Congress is in session.

  • Historical Census Browser
    Provides information about state and county topics for individual census years and over time with tables and maps.

  • Historical Statistics of the United States
    A compendium of statistics from more than 1,000 sources and includes more than 37,000 data series about American history. Tables may be graphed, customized, and downloaded.

  • Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States [JX233 .A3]
    Published by the United States department of State, the FRUS series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. It is an excellent resource for studying US International Relations. The volumes are easily browsed by year and topic. They are also available online.

  • U.S. Serial Set
    The U.S. Serial Set is an on-going collection of U.S. government publications, including all the reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and constitutes a rich source of primary source material on all aspects of American history. The set is also available in print in the Reference Collection and the index is located in the Government Documents Reference area.

For information about local, state, or international governments, visit the Information Desk, or contact a librarian.

Unpublished Primary Sources

For those of you interesed in looking at manuscripts, keep in mind that most libraries/historical societies do not have catalogs of their archival material. In WorldCat, you can limit your searches to "Archival Materials" and look at the location from the results page. Other suggestions, especially if you are inclined to travel:
  • The Europa World of Learning [Infodesk AS2 W6 2008] Directory of research institutions, museums, and educational institutions by country, including the United States.

  • National Archives Archival Research Catalog
    This link will take you to ARC Basic Search page to find unpublished federal government records. In the Filter Your Search section, select (click in) the "Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies" box to limit your search to only those items available digitally.

Selected Primary Source Collections

Selected Primary Sources in African American Studies


Primary Sources in African American Studies (Lexis-Nexis)
This database features full text resources on African-American history, including federal legislation, court decisions, biographical articles, selected manuscripts, personal narratives, and journal articles.

Primary Sources in American Women's History (Lexis-Nexis)
This database features full text resources on American women's history, including federal legislation, court decisions, biographical articles, selected manuscripts, personal narratives, and journal articles.

Annals of American History Online
Full text of over 2,000 primary documents in American history, including historical accounts, speeches, memoirs, poems, editorials, and cultural criticism. Also has multimedia files including more than 500 pictures, hundreds of video clips, and audio of famous speeches.

American Slavery: A Composite Autobiography
American Slavery: A Composite Autobiography is a full-text database of slave narratives compiled by the Library of Congress from transcripts of 2,000 interviews of former slaves from seventeen states. The interviews were conducted between 1936 and 1938 by field workers hired by the WPA Federal Writer's Project.

Early American Imprints, Series I, Evans 1639-1800
Full text of over 37,000 books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in America from 1639-1800 on topics touching on all aspects of life in 17th- and 18th- century America. The titles are drawn from American Bibliography by Charles Evans and enhanced by Roger Bristol's Supplement to Evans' American Bibliography.

Early American Imprints, Series II, Shaw-Shoemaker 1800-1819
Full text of 36,000 American books, pamphlets, and broadsides on all topics published in the first nineteen years of the nineteenth century. Based on the authoritative bibliography by Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker and supplemented by thousands of new items. Updated monthly until completion in July 2007.

Women, War, and Society, 1914-1918
From the Women at Work Collection, at the Imperial War Museum, London, these primary source materials from the First World War cover the contribution of women to the war. The collection features more than 29,000 documents and 2,400 photographs from more than 1,000 organizations and includes charity and international relief reports, pamphlets, photographs, and press cuttings.

The Gerritsen Collection of Women's History, 1543-1945 [On microfiche/microfilm]
This microfilm/microfiche collection is international in scope and includes over 4000 monographs and 265 serials. The richest part of the collection centers on the 19th century and includes monographs and periodicals in the following areas:

  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
  • HISTORY AND SOCIAL CONDITION
  • EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
  • WOMEN AND EMPLOYMENT
  • FEMINISM
  • PHYSIOLOGY OF WOMEN
  • PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN
  • BIOGRAPHY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY
  • OPINIONS, SATIRES, ANECDOTES, APHORISMS
  • WOMEN AND THE ARTS
  • POLITICS AND SOCIAL REFORM
  • RELIGION

The collection is located in the microforms area on the second floor of Chalmers. Items in the collection will appear in CONSORT searches or may be searched specifically by adding the word gerritsen to your keyword search (e.g. "gerritsen" and "suffrage"). For help in using the collection, ask at the Information Desk.

Selected Primary Sources on the Internet

Questions to ask yourself as you evaluate Internet resources

Selected Sites

  • Library of Congress American Memory Project
    Over 5 million digitized text, sound and video recordings, images, maps, and sheet music from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions.

  • Internet Modern History Sourcebook
    Includes digitized full text of primary sources pertaining to Modern history. The focus is mainly on Europe and the Americas with some African and Asian materials.

  • Repositories of Primary Sources
    This website, maintained by the Special Collections Department at the University of Idaho Library, serves as a list of national and international archival websites. This could be a good starting place for research in specific geographic regions.

  • Resources for History
    Another site which provides links to a wide variety of historical resources.

  • Voice of the Shuttle: History Resources
    Portal of websites maintained by Alan Lui at the University of Santa Barbara. Several sites contain primary sources.

 

Writing & Citing

Style manuals are located at the Information Desk. For information on discipline-specific style manuals, click here. You can also use RefWorks to keep track of your sources. Simply login with your network username and password.

*Presnell, Jenny L. The Information-Literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History Students. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. (citation created with RefWorks)

Need help?

For more information on primary sources, visit the Primary Sources research guide or contact a librarian.

For an individual research consultation, contact:

Nina Clements
Librarian & Technology Consultant
740.427.5668
email: clementsn@kenyon.edu